Military Tactics: The Hannibal Quiz

Long before "The Silence of the Lambs," the name Hannibal struck fear into the hearts of people around the world thanks to the ancient warrior Hannibal Barca. Take our quiz to test your knowledge of his achievements, failures and legacy.

Start Quiz »

You scored

0 out of 30

Question 1 of 30

What year did future military leader Hannibal Barca enter the world?

747 B.C.E.

247 B.C.E.

Hannibal was born in North Africa in 247 B.C.E. and was the son of Carthaginian General Hamilcar Barca.

347 C.E.

Question 2 of 30

What country is Carthage a part of today?

Egypt

Italy

Tunisia

Carthage is part of modern-day Tunisia and sits just across the Mediterranean from Italy.

Question 3 of 30

What city did Hannibal dedicate his life to destroying?

Rome

At a young age, Hannibal swore to destroy the Roman empire and its capital city of Rome. He dedicated his entire life to this task.

Constantinople

Cairo

Question 4 of 30

How old was Hannibal when he was appointed head of the Carthaginian army?

16

26

Hannibal was just 26 years old when he was appointed commander in chief of the entire Carthaginian army.

36

Question 5 of 30

What war did Hannibal start in 219 B.C.E.?

Second Punic War

The Romans considered Hannibal's 219 B.C.E. attack on Saguntum an act of war. The siege of the city marked the start of the Second Punic War.

Crusades

Battle of Siffin

Question 6 of 30

How long did it take Hannibal to conquer Saguntum?

eight days

eight weeks

eight months

It took Hannibal eight long months to capture Saguntum, a city on the Iberian Peninsula.

Question 7 of 30

What Roman general did Hannibal battle throughout the Second Punic War?

Caesar

Scipio

Roman General Publius Cornelius Scipio raged battle against Hannibal for more than a decade during the Second Punic War.

Antiochus

Question 8 of 30

Gaul is located in this modern-day country.

Spain

France

In 218 B.C.E. Hannibal marched over the Pyrenees and into Gaul, located in modern-day France. He met little resistance from the Gauls, which cleared the path for him to continue his march straight to Italy.

Tunisia

Question 9 of 30

How long did it take Hannibal to cross the Alps?

15 days

After entering Gaul, it took Hannibal and his troops just 15 days to cross the mighty Alps.

150 days

15 months

Question 10 of 30

How many troops did Hannibal take with him on his march across the Alps?

20,000

50,000

100,000

Hannibal amassed an army of 100,000 men to accompany him across the Alps and into Italy.

Question 11 of 30

What surprising creature did Hannibal take on his march across the Alps?

elephants

Hannibal and his men marched across the Alps with 37 war elephants.

tigers

monkeys

Question 12 of 30

How many of the elephants survived the treacherous mountain crossing?

none

less than a dozen

all of them

All 37 of Hannibal's elephants survived the journey through the mountains, though he did lose the majority of his troops during the crossing.

Question 13 of 30

How close did Hannibal actually get to the city of Rome?

300 miles (483 kilometers)

30 miles

3 miles

Hannibal made it to just 3 miles outside the walls of the city but didn't have enough men or supplies to conquer Rome.

Question 14 of 30

What happened to Hannibal at Cannae?

He died.

He was captured.

He defeated a much larger army.

Hannibal enjoyed a major victory at the 216 B.C.E. Battle of Cannae when he defeated 80,000 Roman soldiers with fewer than half that number of men fighting on his side.

Question 15 of 30

How many men did the Romans lose at Cannae?

500

5,000

50,000

More than 50,000 Roman men — 20 percent of the entire adult male population of Rome — died at Cannae.

Question 16 of 30

How did the Romans scare away Hannibal's elephants?

fire

rocks

trumpets

The Romans used trumpets to scare the elephants, causing them to stampede and crush the Carthaginian troops.

Question 17 of 30

How many of Hannibal's elephants survived the Second Punic War?

none

one

Just one elephant named Surus, which Hannibal often rode upon, survived the war.

all

Question 18 of 30

What did Hannibal use to dissolve boulders while crossing the Alps?

vinegar

Hannibal ingeniously used vinegar to break down boulders and clear a passage through the mountains.

fire

mercury

Question 19 of 30

True or false: Hannibal wasn't recognized as a hero during his lifetime.

true

false

A coin struck during Hannibal's lifetime suggests that he was important to the Carthaginian people and also provides the only picture of him created during his lifetime.

Question 20 of 30

What did Hannibal launch at enemies in an attempt at biological warfare?

snakes

Late in his career, Hannibal threw baskets of snakes at enemies while battling at sea.

smoke bombs

elephant dung

Question 21 of 30

True or false: Hannibal was a cannibal who ate his own troops when necessary for survival.

true

false

The idea that Hannibal feasted on his own men is seen as propaganda, and there is no evidence to support that it ever actually took place.

Question 22 of 30

True or false: Late in his career, Hannibal began leading battles at sea.

true

Hannibal led naval battles against the Romans, working under Antiochus of Syria.

false

Question 23 of 30

True or false: Hannibal had much less success at sea than he did on land.

true

Despite his long military career, Hannibal was not successful during his naval career and never achieved a single significant victory.